Voting ends today for Giants, Eagles Mt. Rushmores

The Pro Football Talk Mt. Rushmore series began Monday, with both the Cowboys and Redskins.

On Tuesday, we continue with another pair of franchises that have storied histories: the Giants and the Eagles.

Both have generated well over 50,000 total votes, with the Giants currently scraping 60,000. But the Eagles have produced to date the closest competition for the fourth spot on the PFT Planet-determined mountain. So we’re re-posting the Philly poll below, and encouraging you to keep voting.

And while we don’t want to reveal the results of the voting, the four-man scrum for the fourth spot comes down to Randall Cunningham, Steve Van Buren, Norm Van Brocklin, and Donovan McNabb.

Cunningham and McNabb were both very good players, but neither was remotely in the class of Norm Van Brocklin or Steve Van Buren.

Van Brocklin was a great player, but he only played three years with the Eagles. He led the team to the 1960 NFL Championship, which puts him ahead of Cunningham and McNabb, but behind the next guy.

The clear choice of the four is Van Buren. He played his entire career with the Eagles. He was a seven-time All Pro, and two-time NFL champion. He scored the only points in ’48 NFL Championship game, in a blizzard. He’s in the Hall of Fame.

The only other player who really merits consideration for the final spot is Jerome Brown. He was already a legend in this city, and has been dearly missed. If there was not a strong candidate for the final spot I would say put him in, but there is.

Steve Van Buren is a Hall of Famer who led the Eagles to two NFL Championships. It’s just stupid to not include him. He should be the first bust on the Eagles Mt. Rushmore.

Chuck Bednarik is a Hall of Fame two-way player who led the Eagles to an NFL Championship in 1960 and was also on the 1949 NFL Championship team. He’s an absolute no brainer as the second bust on the Eagles Mt. Rushmore.

Yes, Reggie White left to play with the Packers, but he was arguably the best defensive linemen to ever play the game, and his best years were with the Eagles. He is undoubtedly the third bust on the Eagles Mt. Rushmore.

Brian Dawkins was the best player and the heart and soul of the 2000 Eagles that dominated the NFC East and went to five NFC Championship games, and is a likely Hall of Famer. There was arguably no other player in the history of the Eagles franchise who was as respected, admired, and loved by the Philadelphia fan base. Eagles fans saw their passion for their team in Dawkins every time he stepped out on the field. Dawkins has to be the final bust on the Eagles Mt. Rushmore.

Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb were terrific players, but neither are Hall of Famers, nor did they win championships or have the deep connection with the fan base like a Brian Dawkins did. Norm Van Brocklin was great, but played for the Eagles for just three years.

I’m sorry, but I just saw the comment about Jerome Brown arguably deserving a spot, and I just wholeheartedly disagree. I loved Jerome – his jersey is one of only two that I own.

Jerome doesn’t make the top ten candidates for Mt. Rushmore status. He only played five years. He was great, but was not a franchise trans-formative player. I don’t want to take anything away from him, but I think people have exaggerated his presence in the wake of his death, as often happens.

He may have been one of the most talented and even best players on the Eagles of all-time, but Mt. Rushmore status is more than that. You have to have a long lasting impact on and connection with the franchise and city.